whatis lts

LTS (Long-Term Support)

Also known as: long-term support

A release that receives security and bug fixes for several years without major version changes, favored for servers and stable desktops.

What Does LTS Mean in Linux?

An LTS release freezes major package versions and backports only fixes for an extended period. Ubuntu LTS versions get five years of standard support, and the kernel project designates certain versions as long-term for several years of patches.

The trade-off is predictability over freshness. An LTS system changes little between upgrades, which suits production servers, but newer hardware and software features arrive later than on a rolling release.